How to Butcher a Whole Boneless Pork Loin

(Note: If you are looking for the recipe for Honey Apple Pork Loin, it is at the bottom of this post.)

I have been buying whole boneless pork loin for quite a while now. It is extremely economical and my family loves Honey Apple Pork Loin (recipe below) so buying an entire loin and cutting it into three or four roasts for the freezer is a common occurrence in this house. I thought I was pretty smart, cutting that pork loin into roasts. That is until I happened across this video from FireCooker.com on You Tube. It seems that I had been butchering my pork loins all wrong! Yes, all parts of the pork loin can make tasty roasts, but some parts are more suitable for other cuts of pork than others.

When you look at the loin, you will notice that one end of the loin is smaller than the other. Not only that, the smaller end is fattier. This is considered the Ribeye portion. In the middle is the Roast section, and the larger end – the leaner end – is the Sirloin portion. All of these parts can be used for roast, but can be used for so many other cuts! I had no idea what I was missing out on!

The pork loin on the video was about 7 pounds and was perfectly portioned to be cut into sirloin, ribeye and roast sections. My loin, however, is HUMONGOUS – 12.5 pounds to be exact! So, I had to cut mine into four portions.

I started with the ribeye section of my loin because I wanted to cut some boneless pork chops like the beautiful ones Dr. Barbecue did in the video. I wanted mine a little thinner than his, so using the width of my thumb as a guide, I cut my chops about 3/4″.

I ended up with six pork chops from my sirloin end. Aren’t they pretty?

You’ll notice in the upper right corner of the above picture there was some scrap meat left over. (A better picture below.) When I got to the end, I found that the tip wasn’t firm enough to cut more chops. But I learned that I can cut stew meat from this. So I did. I felt very clever. I’m thinking thick and hearty pork stew….mmmm. I can’t wait to eat that!

The last three sections I left as roasts, although there are lots of other options for cutting the sirloin portion. However, I had Honey Apple Pork Loin on my mind (and on my menu plan!)

I originally found Crock Pot Honey Apple Pork Loin on My Crossfit Paleo Journey. My family LOVES it and it is so easy. Here’s what you need?

2.5 to 3 lbs pork loin
3 apples, sliced
honey
cinnamon

First, cut slits in the pork loin without cutting through.

Drizzle honey into slits.

Place slices from one of the apples into the slits. Put the remaining apple slices in freezer bag. Drizzle honey and apples over the apples.

Sprinkle cinnamon over pork loin. Place pork loin in bag with apples and seal. Freeze. On serving day, place frozen loin and apples in crock pot. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours.

There you have it…five meals from one pork loin. I bought the loin for $1.99/pound, and the apples were from our apple tree in our yard, so the total cost is less than $5 per meal for my family of seven.

We ate the pork chops that night as Oven Fried Pork Chops (which explains why they aren’t vacuumed sealed). My only question is what exactly to do with the stew meat? What do you suggest I make with it? Leave me your ideas in the comment section below, and I just might take your suggestion!

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19 thoughts on “How to Butcher a Whole Boneless Pork Loin”

Hi,
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Pinning this for sure! I bought a HUGE pork loin at Sam’s Club and tried to remember the picture displayed at the store showing me how to cut it. I ended up with cutting the entire center into chops, leaving the fat end for a roast, and I thought I remembered it saying something about ribs at the small end. Thanks for helping to clear it up! Eventhough I was winging it – I did get some satisfaction out of playing butcher!Kristin recently posted…What I’m Digging {two}

Why not make pork fried rice for dinner one night? I don’t have stew recipes but used to make a dish of pork and rice (not fried rice, lol) occasionally. It was very good, although my family always looked alarmed when I’d mention it was on the menu, ha! They were funny about ‘new’ or unfamiliar things, but it was truly an old fashioned dish my granny used to make and like most of those old fashioned dishes was plain but delicious. That Honey Apple Roast looks awesome.

I found this on pinterest when I was searching for pork loin recipes. We were given a five pounder and I had no clue how to cook it. I never even thought about cutting it up! These huge pork loins go on sale all the time here and I never buy them out of fear lol. I’m glad I found this!

I just got an 8 lb pork loin on sale for $1.29 a lb. it’s sitting in my fridge because I had no idea what to do until now. Have you thought of doing a pork chili with the scraps? I’m going to do a pork stir fry and pork Marsala with some of the chops then try your honey apple roast

Great tutorial! Thanks for telling me how to get the most out of a pork loin. I found your blog looking for ideas. I want a vacuum sealing thing too …!!
I reallly love a good pork chili verde .. those end scraps would be delicious with that. If you garden, making the base for the chili yourself out of green tomatoes and tomatillos is really incredible …

What an awesome post. I’ve been experimenting with my own recipes and I’m making a bacon garlic balsamic marinade -> reduction tonight (along with garlic roasted potato cubes and a kale, carrot, celery salad). Your apple recipe looks fantastic though. This is my 2nd of 3 roasts I cut out of my 11lb tenderloin. I’m definitely making your recipe for the third. Best wishes. Thanks again.

PS – As a side note I’m a web developer and your post was so helpful that I’d be happy to offer some help with your site. For example there’s a free version of your commentluv comment plugin called disqus.

Yay! I’m so glad this was helpful. If not frozen, I would suggest 4 to 6 hours on low. The first time I made it, it wasn’t frozen. I have to admit, I like it much better if it is frozen first. It just seems juicier (don’t know why, just does!) Thanks for stopping by Jillian!

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My name is Jenifer and I am the creator/writer of Not Quite Mom of the Year. I am a stay-at-home mom of six, wife to Randy, and follower of Jesus. My faith strongly affects all areas of my life, including this blog. Want to know more? Read My Full Profile...